Bigger and Badder
by bhut
Summary: S3 AU. Grant Ward is bad, he is big, and he is not going to be a puppet for any alien/InHuman puppeteer... Now updated...
1. Chapter 1

**Bigger and badder**

 _Disclaimer: I own nothing; otherwise the mid-season finale would not end this way._

 _AN: this story contains spoilers for the Mid-S3 finale._

The planet is cold, cold and alien, save from the flickers of flame that emerge from one of the corpses lying to the still-fluctuating portal, even as something seems to be moving inside its skull, not a flame, but something else, less fiery and more varied, sometimes taking on one color, sometimes another.

The other corpse is more whole, save for the damaged chest – no human could survive this sort of thing. Yet this corpse is not fully a corpse, it seems to be still moving: twitchingly, it gets on its – or his? – feet, and stumbling, moves towards the first corpse, hands outstretched. Slowly, the flames reach out, licking its – or his? – hands, turning them black as anthracite, yet the second corpse itself seems to be growing stronger, haler, more alive.

Yet the flames are not the only thing that the second corpse (or person) is drawing out of the first: something small and round, like a peppercorn, flies out of the skull, (of the first corpse), and into the second: Hydra's InHuman. It is old, it is powerful, it is ruthless, and had been stealing human bodies for ages, growing truly great on the energy of the souls that it had consumed. An ordinary human, even in best of health, would've been no match for it – but what it had confronted now is no human – but is also an InHuman, something that the body-thief hadn't encountered in a long time, a sort of being that body-thief didn't have experience with dealing with for a long time.

The second corpse, the second InHuman is hurt and weak and is dying – his struggles should be a stalemate that would end with his death: the first InHuman, the body-thief, should wait just some more, and then the second mind will die, and he will have a new host body to inhabit. But at the moment, this is not the immediate concern of the body-thief – he would rather get off the planet – as would its potential host. For a moment, two minds think as one, and the second body – clearly _not_ a corpse, makes a powerful leap and lands right in the Hydra portal, going through it, even as it closes, and ending up right in the middle of an explosion. There is debris, debris and flames everywhere, any human would die there, as many Hydra agents had. The InHuman, the second InHuman, does not. On the contrary, it, or rather – he, straightens up and begins to absorb the flames, growing even bigger, even more muscular than before. His old skin stretches and cracks, revealing a new skin, black as anthracite, crossed with red veins. His chest straightens out, as the damaged bones and organs repair themselves, and his mind pushes the body-thief out, for this is _his_ home turf, not the body-thief's, and here, _he_ is stronger.

 _Mercy,_ the body-thief hums in its disembodied form, _mercy, cousin!_

"Would _you_ have shown _me_ mercy?" the demon-like figure rumbles, his own InHumanity clearly evident among all the destruction. "I have met your kind before, I have fought and defeated your kind before, and I am no friend of your kind. Yet, I have shown mercy before, I have built an arrow bridge once and if you want mercy – then go. Go to the land of Australia; find the woman who owns the Victorious Opal Mind there, and stay there. The woman is your kin herself, and Australia is a wonderful place, very exotic, very different from the place we left behind. You can amuse yourself there – but stay out of my way for the rest of my life. Otherwise," he exhales a stream of flames, almost transparent from the heat.

The body-thief is the older of the two InHumans, under other circumstances it would be more powerful, but the flames are practically pure heat, burning away its very essence. _I accept,_ it hums, _I accept! Mercy!_

"Then go," his opponent relents, and the body-thief flees, flying as far as it can, down south, away from this place. The second InHuman, left to his own devices, exhales and drops to his knees, muttering:

"I don't hate them anymore."

Then he gets up and goes to the nearest corpse of a Hydra agent, with the uniform more or less intact, and begins to strip it.

/

 _Several hours later..._

..."I'll be!" Gideon Malick exclaimed, as he looked at Grant Ward, who stared at him blankly, with something moving beneath his skin. Gideon assumed that it was the alien InHuman, turned parasite. He was wrong. It was Grant's own InHuman organs, shifting into new positions, augmented by a nervous tick. It was a reasonable mistake to make, since Malick actually didn't have too much experience with InHumans outside of their containment boxes, but as Grant begin to grow even bigger, his old skin falling off in pieces, revealing a new face, a new person, a new InHuman, it was also going to be Gideon's last mistake...

 _The End?_


	2. Chapter 2

**Part II**

 _Disclaimer: see previous chapter, and none of the characters are mine, anyhow._

It was slightly over a week later, and Grant was back to feeling...well, how he normally felt, save that his formerly hidden rage towards Coulson and the rest of S.H.I.E.L.D. was gone. It was probably a good and healthy thing, but Grant had to admit (if just to himself) that he felt lost without it – he _had been_ more Hydra than S.H.I.E.L.D. at best of times, and Hydra wasn't big on positive emotions in the long run. Plus, there was the fact that back in Hydra one of his names was the Kinslayer, and with that sort of name you just do not do warm and fuzzy, you know?

In any case, Grant honestly _was not_ going to be killing any more of Coulson's agents any time soon (and not just Daisy, whom he  could not kill for some reason), but both he and his sister still owed Tommy some vengeance, and this was why they were here – to haze their last remaining family member, and to generally see if they couldn't mock Coulson just for what he had done (and he deserved to, on a certain level). As, however, they were making their way towards their destination – they were interrupted by "Will!"

...By Jemma Simmons, actually.

...Jemma Simmons, actually, was not having a good time either. Sure, Grant Ward was gone, (though Leo wasn't exactly forthcoming with the details), but so was Will, and for Jemma this outweighed any good emanations that Grant's death might've caused, plus the fact that everyone seemed to be almost too relieved with Grant's demise left a rather sour taste in Jemma's mouth too. Sure, he had been a murderous asshole and all, but the happy mood that took over after his demise – it was just bad taste, almost on a literal level, and Jemma did pride herself on having _good_ taste instead, and was that... "Will?!" Jemma yelled, as she ran into her 'new friend'. "You're alive! And you are so warm! And so hard!" (Jemma Simmons might have been young, but she was still a woman.) "I missed you!"

"Okay," the big man spoke, not unkindly, but with a mix of bemusement and amusement. "Jemma Simmons, it's nice to see you," he gently pried her off him. "You're very nice to the touch, got the best eyebrows and nose I have seen on a woman, and as for hardness...well, it's been a while since I got hugged by a woman that I _wasn't_ related to. That said, I'm still me, not Will – Will is actually living in Australia these days."

Jemma blinked and looked Grant in the eye. "Why Australia?" she asked, still confused (rather than afraid, as Grant was expecting her to be). "What's in Australia?"

"Sun, sea, heat, rain, a mixture of climates, humans, exotic animals and plants, and a possible female of his species," Grant explained patiently. "Jemma, you won't believe me, but Will is the Hydra's monster – so to speak. In reality, he is a sort of an InHuman that is closer to the aliens per se, than to ordinary humans. That said, hanging around the original Will had made him more human, and having your company around, well, he really liked it."

"Then why is he in Australia?" Jemma frowned. "I mean a human/InHuman relationship may be strange, but not too impossible-"

"This sort of InHumans is barren, in layperson terms," Grant continued to explain, patiently, "so your relationship would've been childless, unless you got a surrogate donor involved somehow, and that would've been messy even with the resources of the old S.H.I.E.L.D. And secondly, Jemma? You are mortal, while Will and his kind are not. They're like ghosts, really – they cannot die of natural causes, because they're already dead."

"Interesting," Jemma did look thoughtful at these words. "Take me to him."

"Excuse me?" Grant stared.

"You heard me – I want closure," Jemma said slowly, exaggeratingly so. "I need to talk to him-"

"Why us?"

"Grant, back in the Arctic, at List's base, when I failed to kill you with the splinter bomb," Jemma said quietly, looking upwards at him, but straight in the eye, "why didn't you kill me?"

"You were looking at me like a scared little cat – that's why," Grant did not hesitate in replying either, "and furthermore, even before the Bus, I got tired of killing. I know it sounds trite, coming from a murderer and an assassin, but I mean it. I kill only when I have to, not otherwise."

"Yeah, most normal people still find this fricking crazy," Jemma nodded solemnly, "but fortunately, I'm an S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, I deal with crazy on a daily basis, and I'm not the one to look a gift horse in the mouth, especially if it's a tiger instead. Why didn't you kill Will?"

"He pled for mercy and I offered him a chance. He took it, he holds to it, end of the line. If he doesn't, I'll burn him out of existence, out of reality – literally," Grant grinned a humorless smile, "but if he does, I won't. Plus, he is immortal, I am not. Coulson's an amateur when it comes to killing, he got too fancy, but it almost worked."

"What did he do?" Jemma asked, quietly.

Instead of replying, Grant rolled up his shirt. "A week ago it was worse," he said simply. "Fortunately, I haven even _more_ tricks in my sleeve than you know, plus Coulson got too fancy and symbolic with him killing me, so I made it."

"This isn't right," Jemma said quietly, as she traced the pattern of his new scars. "We're supposed to be _better_ than you, not worse. Grant, I do not know how I will prove it to you that S.H.I.E.L.D. is better than you are...in the right way, but please – I need to see Will. I need to have closure."

"You probably need some equipment, or at least a spare set of clothing," Grant mused thoughtfully, "'cause not even we can get you from here to Australia within just 24 hours, plus you'll spend some time talking to your new friend, plus there're time zones involved..."

"I hate them," Jemma said with a smile, (she was a scientist and British, this was her idea of humor, generally speaking). "You're right. I will get my stuff and meet you here. Please don't' ditch me."

"Jemma, why us? Surely, S.H.I.E.L.D. can spare some time going to Australia, I promise that we won't interfere with you – much – afterwards," Grant did not back down.

"Because you need it," Jemma spoke, all serious now. "I know that you're not a monster but a man, and you need this in your life. You need someone like me. The rest of us – they've grown too afraid of you, and this isn't right, not on both sides."

"We're still going," Grant shook his head. "Tommy needs some guidance from his siblings."

"Put this on," Jemma gave him a comm.-link. "This way I know that you won't leave me."

"Deal."

/

Normally, one would expect Jemma to have interference, as she went to pack her things and to write a note to Leo and the rest of the team, but they were too busy being distracted, and Jemma had to admit – Grant knew how to be a distraction even without hurting or killing anyone. Jemma was quite some distance away from the site of the confrontation, it was actually on the outside of the HQ building, (the latest one), but thanks to the comm.-link, she could hear it all.

"Ouch!" Grant began the interaction, causing Coulson to fall silent (a no small feat, actually, in itself). "But I suppose that we deserve it, don't we, sister?"

"Totally," his other remaining family member, also known as Raina and the 'girl in the flower dress' agreed with him. "Still, the emancipation was worth it, second best day in our lives!"

"Totally," Grant echoed back, "and Tommy, are you honestly surprised to see us? Even if we both were actually dead, we would bust out of Hell just to see you on this very special day!" He paused, growing thoughtful. "Of course, if we had to bust out of Hell, we'd bring with us quite a few other people, starting with John, you know? Phil, in my brief period hanging between this life and the afterlife, John _did_ visit me, telling me that he's counting the days before you join him there, he already is buying Vaseline by the pound and made agreements with a bunch of German cinematograph specialists to star you in his porno, 'Garrett and Coulson make a porno'. I think that the two of you did something when you were Leo's age?"

Coulson said nothing, but the silence still spoke volumes, until it was filled by Raina.

"But enough about John," she said brightly, and you could just hear similar intonations in her voice and Grant's. "Tommy, let's talk about us. The good director and the rest of those fine people are probably wondering, how the Hell that Grant had mentioned we are related. The answer is simple. Grant, like Christian, was legitimate. Me and Tommy? Are bastards. Only Tommy was the right color and a boy, so he was adopted by the Wards, while I was flat-out rejected, since I am neither. Grandma Dot adopted me instead, and Grant acknowledged me as well, and became my brother. Tommy here, on the other hand, followed the rest of the family's lead, and as a result Grant stopped playing with him forever more. Tommy never forgave him for that and just went after him – he has the family determination, to be sure. Pity that the same goes for his political sense – just like the rest of us, Tommy knows which way the wind blows and where the blood in the water is, unless Grant and I are involved: then he always bets on the wrong horse. Anyhow, this brings me to our point, to the reason why we are here: Tommy, you made a commitment, and now you are going to honor it. If you do not, if you backslide and leave them hanging, then remember – we are waiting in the shadows, waiting for you, and once you slip up and ditch them, we will come and we will flay you. Alive." Tom made a noise – just a generic noise. "For don't forget, little Thomas – we're not your friends, we're not your family anymore: you made your choice, and you'll live with it, for frankly, the day when the rest of the Ward family died? Best day in our lives ever! Have a nice day."

"...Sorry about that, but Raina hasn't performed before an audience for _ages_ , so she got carried away," Grant rumbled. "Otherwise, what she said. And Tommy? As you can see, thanks to the actions of Phil over here, I am black, black as Raina was – I am her brother, not yours. Live with that for the rest of your life, would you?"

Jemma frowned, for the first time, as she reached the car that Grant and Raina used to reach the current HQ: WTH did Grant mean by that? Then she remembered his warmth beneath his touch and wondered, if he was not some sort of an InHuman himself, not unlike Raina. Interesting...

 _TBC_


	3. Chapter 3

**Part III**

 _Disclaimer: none of the characters are mine, but belong to Whedon and Co._

Post Grant's (and Raina's) departure, the mood was sombre, if not downright depressing. Thomas, for his part, did his best to ensure that it stayed so, by huddling at a corner table in the HQ cafeteria, with some booze, looking at nothing and no one in particular, lost, (sort of) in a trip down the memory lane.

"It was always like that," he spoke blankly, "it always was. We were supposed to be a family – Christian, Grant, mom, dad and me. We were supposed to make a name in Washington, to be a dynasty, just like the Kennedys. Raina, yes, she was a bastard, she was not supposed to matter, but grandma Dot, she acknowledged her, and Grant – he told her that she was his sister, and he played with her. He was not her brother; he was supposed to be _my_ brother instead. I told our parents, dad told Grant to stop it, Grant told him to fuck off, and when dad beat him, Grant spat in his face. I tried to win him back, I really tried! Nothing worked, grandma Dot left all of her family fortune to Raina and him, and Grant never spoke to me again. Neither did Raina, but she did not matter, she was not supposed to matter, Grant was supposed to pick _us_! He went to boarding school, beat one of Christian's friends who tried to fight him, got sent to military school, came back to burn our house down when we didn't tell him that grandma got sent to the hospital – and vanished. Christian made noises. A man came, his name was John. Told Christian that Grant – and Raina – were with us now, and if Christian does not shut it, he will wish that John had killed him. Christian shut it. Later, Grant and Raina sent us their emancipation letters, when they came of age, that was the end of it, until Grant carried out his promise, and I'm the only one left, lucky me," Thomas ended with a mirthless chuckle.

"How nice," Mack said flatly. "Now let's sober you up."

"Oh, I'm sober to begin with," Thomas got back onto his feet without any effort, and it became obvious that the man truly was sober from the start. "Dad was a drunk, mom was a drunk, Christian had issues, and I never drank. I have no intention to becoming a drunk, you British git."

"I'm not British," Mack blinked.

"Yeah, I heard you talking to the agent Blonde who was part of my kidnapping party," Thomas chuckled, still without any mirth. "You know, I tried to apply to you guys via one of your offices in D.C., I really did. Got rejected, because I was not suitable. Now you guys no longer have my brother, and suddenly – I am suitable. Ha! I do not know if Grant _can_ die, but if he does, I am going to be lighting candles on his birthday for the rest of my life, 'cause he did more to fix it, my life that is, than anyone else did. Agent Coulson, when one of the Popes was elected, he told the cardinals that they elected an ass. I am neither a Pope nor an ass; I will not waste this chance. I will not forget that you reached under my rock and gave me a chance. But neither will I forget why you did it in the first place. Believe it!"

With this parting shot, Thomas left, leaving behind a very heavy and unpleasant atmosphere.

"Phil, you must be very proud," Melinda May spoke in such a voice that Coulson almost blanched from. "There's a reason why people like me are called specialists. We _specialize_ in this sort of thing. You do not. You messed up. You messed up very badly, and now we are paying the price. Grant has 'evolved' even more, and we're now stuck with his brother."

"Their brother," Mack pointed out, "and I do not sound British, do I?"

"Right now," Melinda said dryly, "you sort of did."

"Um," Mack thought this over. "I should probably stop hanging out with Bobbi and Lance so much. No offence to them, but I'm proud to be an American citizen, you know?"

"Very well," Melinda said dryly, when she was interrupted – by Daisy and Leo.

"Excuse me, DC," the younger woman spoke up, politely, suggesting that she just _might_ be going for the throat as soon as the veneer was gone, "but what did happen on Mars – I mean, the alien planet that you went on? Leo has been telling me some, Lincoln too, but let's hear it from you now."

"I thought I killed Grant by crushing his ribs and heart," Coulson admitted unhappily, more than 'just' aware that this _will not_ go well by the others.

"You what?" Daisy gaped. "Leo spoke the truth?!"

"I have, thank you very much," Leo nodded, but was ignored by others for the moment.

"Holy crap, I cannot believe it!" Daisy gasped. "You- you became like Lash, the man kills other people like that! ...Melinda, I am sorry-"

"Don't," Melinda shook her head. "Phil, Daisy's right. Grant is a murderer, but he is a professional murderer; Lash is not even that. When he had kidnapped me...he tried to justify it, even to himself. He could not. All he wants is to kill, without any justification or anything else, really. Phil, if you were to imitate anyone, why did it have to be him?"

"Nobody knows, but maybe it's because of you?" some devil, apparently, possessed Leo Fitz and took control of his tongue. "I mean, both of them were in S.H.I.E.L.D. Both of them were in a relationship with you of one sort or another. Both turned to the dark side after this. Hell, we could even add Grant to this equation – it stays the same: Melinda is some sort of femme fatale, who turns men in her relationships to evil. Ouch. She must be gifted or something."

Melinda did her best to vaporize Leo Fitz with her gaze. Leo paled, but stood his ground. "Ignore him," Daisy said gamely. "He's just upset that Jemma's gone – again."

"Jemma had written me, us a note – she's going on a self-discovery trip, just as Melinda had earlier this year," Leo said sourly, "whereas Lincoln's gone, again-"

"Because of you," Daisy gave Coulson an unfriendly look. "Lincoln...Lincoln decided to return to us, after you betrayed him to ATCU the first time around, because he wouldn't go back to Li Shi due to what Jiaying had him and his friends do – and because Lash had killed so many of them afterwards. He came to S.H.I.E.L.D. because he wanted a clean break, among other things – and he did not get it. DC, we all wanted Grant dead, fair enough, but why did you have to hold interviews beforehand? Not to mention, but your MO sucks."

"How nice," Coulson muttered. "Maybe I should spend some time in the vault, to contemplate my mistakes?"

"Great idea," May nodded brightly. "I'll have the couch brought there for you to sleep on, as well."

"You know," Coulson turned to her, "I'm the director..." he met his gaze. "You'll help me run the agency from down there?"

"Yes, Phil," Melinda said crossly. "The couch _will_ be big for both of us, you know?"

The pair walked away, discussing new plans. Daisy looked after them with jealousy. "I really hope that Lincoln will be back soon," she muttered. She did not know it, but Lincoln was currently flying over to Australia alongside her ex, Jemma Simmons and Raina instead...

 _TBC_


End file.
